The 291st session of the Xiangshan Scientific Conferences under the theme of "Systematic biology and the development of traditional Chinese medicine" was convened on Nov. 16 and 17 in Beijing. Among the 30-odd participants were prestigious researchers and physicians in both traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine.

In his keynote speech at the conference, LIU Depei, president of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the meeting's co-chair, gave a general picture of the Western medical system, its evolution, problems and developmental trends.

According to Liu, the modern Western medicine, as the mainstream of life sciences in the world today, follows the reductive methodology, the biomedical model based on experiments and the medical research model that closely integrates with latest science and technology developments. However, the reductive approach reveals its limitations as people gains deeper understandings of complex diseases such as high blood pressure, tumor, diabetes and chronic liver illness, posing grave challenges to modern medical science. As a result, the importance of concept of integrity is reemerging.

To address these problems, the Western medicine in these years is gradually turning to new concepts such as evidence-based medicine, systematic biology and integrative medicine. Some suggest a more complex and wholesome medical mode as "environment - society - psychology - biomedicine - engineering medicine." The tendency is to focus on the complexity of life and the integrated studies on human health.

CAS vice-president CHEN Zhu, a leading scientist in China's human genome and disease genome studies, also gave a report at the conference, illustrating that his research into leukemia treatment has been effectively enlightened by the bright ideas preserved within the TCM system. TCM, according to him, is a precious and complete traditional medical mechanism developed for thousands of years. It has proven merit in protecting the health of Chinese people and made contributions to the global medical system.

Quite different from modern Western medicine which is based on pathogenic targets, TCM emphasizes the natural human functions. It is very efficacious in dealing with the complicated and often vague symptoms of psychosomatic illness even before they manifest. Also, TCM has increasingly been acknowledged in the world and demonstrated its miraculous effects through acupuncture and other unique therapies.

Still, some experts pointed out the disadvantages of TCM. As the approach views human body as a blurry integrative whole, it lacks a quantificational expression to the substantial structure and functional changes of the patient's medical components. There have neither been any theoretical or mathematical models corresponding to the very fundamental concepts of TCM such as yin and yang, the five body climates (wind, dampness, dryness, heat and cold). These defects in turn lead to the difficulties in developing new medicines and the an all-round development of the TCM system.

Participants of the conference agreed that systematic biology can offer a golden chance for TCM to comply with the Western medical system. The research results of systematic biology, both macro- and micro-scopical, shall combine the old oriental and modern western medicines to achieve better diagnosis and treatment through the genetic molecular networks of disease. With the help of systematic biology and complex science, the modernization of TCM will be enhanced, making unique contributions to the world's health system.